They hail from some ofthe most prestigious colleges across the country: Columbia, Cornell, Bryn Mawr,
Harvard, Wesleyan, Yale, and more. And
yet these 40 high-performing students are headed to summer school come June 27th.

They
haven’t failed. Instead, they are helping younger students to avoid falling
behind.

The
college students were selected for an increasingly coveted internship with Breakthrough
New York. Selected from among 650 applicants, they will be preparing 68 newly
graduated 6th graders for middle school.

Under
the program, the 68 head right back into the classroom the day after they leave
6th grade for six weeks of academic tutoring, mentoring and
enrichment services.

“This
is a highly charged, intensive environment,” says Rhea Wong, Breakthrough New
York’s Executive Director. “These college students are an incredibly motivated
group. We train them for two weeks so they are ready to step to the front of
the class. It’s an exhilarating experience, one that changes the course of
their lives.”

How?

After
finishing their internships at one of Breakthrough’s two program sites, The
Town School on the Upper East Side, Manhattan and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High
School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, many of the students career-correct: they
decide teaching is for them: 75% percent of Teacher Interns eventually pursue careers
in teaching.

Ones
like Daniel Grimes, who is now with Teach for America and instructing students
at a Williamsburg, Brooklyn charter school.

“My
experience with Breakthrough was amazing, which was why I decided to pursue
Teach for America. The relationship I built with the students is why I realized
teaching was such a great career,” says Grimes, 22, of Manhattan. “This
internship experience was incredibly valuable. You don’t realize how rewarding
it is until you meet the students. They bring you so much joy, and it happened
every single day I went to work. It’s unparalleled.”

The
internships are highly sought: Last year, about 550 college students applied
for these summer spots, which are consistently
listed as Princeton Review Top Ten Internships, along with the White House, the
Supreme Court and MTV. This year,
only one out of every 16 applicants won a spot.

The
Teacher Interns start their training on June 11th. After training
ends, for the next six weeks, they will focus on
refining the middle schoolers’ mastery of skills in core curriculum subjects
like math, science, writing and literature.

“More
than ever, we are witnessing greater interest in our programming, not just from
middle school students from across the city but from college students who value
the rigorous training this internship provides – especially if they plan to
pursue a career in teaching,” Ms. Wong said. “This flood of applications is
testament to the desire to help students succeed.”

Teacher
Interns are selected based on academic accomplishment, leadership experience
and ability to learn teaching techniques as demonstrated during the interview
process.